A Thousand Years (And Then Some)
by steiin
Summary: Sometimes they remember each other and sometimes they don't. That's the thing about being reincarnated, you don't get to choose what your next life will be like. Will and Nico would know.


**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

 _The 10_ _th_ _Life_

He's reaching for him before he's even fully awake. His arm stretches across the sheets as his fingers grasp at the empty space. He comes to two conclusions within moments:

A) Nico is gone and his side of the bed is cold which means that

B) He left awhile ago

Will's eyes open to confirm that yes, he's gone. A yawn forces itself past his lips as he wiggles himself out of bed. He's not worried about Nico like he probably should be, like someone else might be. He knows Nico and he knows what he thinks about on the nights he can't sleep. Will thinks about the same things every day.

He finds Nico on the couch as he always does. The TV is on mute but the subtitles are on, Will is almost completely sure that he isn't actually watching it. He doesn't look up when Will enters, they've done this so many times now that it has almost become part of their routine. He takes his usual place, curled up on one side of the couch with his head in Nico's lap. There's no acknowledgment save for the immediate presence of Nico's fingers combing through his hair. A long time ago, Will would have prodded Nico to talk about whatever thoughts were stealing away in his mind. He's learned since then that in some cases it's more productive to let him be and say what needs to be said on his own terms. This has always been one of those cases. They sit there pretending to watch TV and Nico runs his fingers through Will's hair at a pace that makes him dangerously calm. His eyelids are starting to droop closed when Nico says softly, "You should go back to bed."

Will just hums because he'd rather fall asleep here, like this and Nico knows it. Sometimes he wonders how Nico gets these silly ideas in his head, the ones that suggest Will would want to be anywhere else more than he'd want to be with Nico.

" _You_ should go back to bed," Will murmurs after a moment,"Sleep's good for you."

There's a pause in Nico's motions and the long sigh that emits from his mouth sounds like a storm in the quiet of the room."There's only a month left," he whispers and it's only because Will has known him so long that he is able to hear the faint tremor of distress.

Will lifts his head from Nico's lap and sits up. He pulls Nico into his arms and lays them both down. Things always feel better like this, with Nico in his arms and their legs tangled together. "I know," Will tells him, and he _does_. He'd never tell Nico, but he's been mentally counting the days and gradually feeling more weighed down by the anxiety that comes with _knowing._ He's learned to handle it better than Nico has, but he still has his own moments when his thoughts are plagued with the knowledge of what's to come. "But it's going to be okay, Nico."

He can feel Nico breathing against him now, feels the hitch in his breath as the air cuts out of his lungs, "What if I don't remember you next time?"

Will swallows because yeah, that's a thing. He's never been able to figure it out, why sometimes they're reincarnated with their memories and sometimes their not, but it's always made everything seem a lot less stable. "We'll still find each other, we just won't know we- we'll be okay," his words falter, not sounding nearly as reassuring as he wishes they did. The only thing that's certain about each of their lives is that they _will_ find each other at some point and die 10 years later. Everything else is a variable. They could wake up a month from now and be in a different world with no knowledge of the other's existence. It's one of those things Will tries his hardest to not think about.

Nico doesn't reply and Will doesn't expect him to. There's only so much they can do and say to comfort each other because in the end it's inevitable. They only have a month left and there's nothing either of them can do to change that. The silence stretches across the remaining few hours of night. Will slips in and out of sleep while Nico tries to watch the TV. It's only when the sun begins to break through the curtains and spill across the floor that Nico says, "I don't want to leave this life."

It kind of breaks Will's heart a little because he gets it. This has been one of the few easy ones. They remembered everything and when they found each other they held tight and refused to let go. They've spent 10 years living peacefully and the fact that it will all end in a months time makes Will feel ridiculously sick. "We're going to get one like this again," the words leave his mouth before he can think about them. He's really not sure that it's true but he wants to believe that it's possible, "and then we're going to pick up right where we left off here."

Nico turns in his arms and looks at him. His eyes are weighed down by dark circles but his lips are twitching into the phantom of a grin, "I'm holding you to that." There's only a month left before they die again and as Nico pulls Will in for a hard kiss Will clings to the hope that one day he's going to feel this again. Even if it takes a few lifetimes.

 **AN:**

I don't really know how to dialogue.

Every chapter is going to be a different one of their lives and eventually a coherent story will be formed. Thank you for reading.


End file.
